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Continued from Home Page … Letter from Fr. Kevin

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Thankfully our earthly tent, made by human hands, has not been destroyed. And we, the dwelling made by God’s hands, eternal in heaven, will be able to return to our “House of the Church” this week!
After careful studies by both our architect and structural engineer, all have determined it is safe to resume our regular schedule inside the Church. The damage to the plaster crown molding above the St. Joseph Altar, although sizeable and unfortunate, is localized and likely the result of water infiltration over many decades. That portion of the roof and building has been sealed up to prevent future damage. All the remaining plaster crown molding has been inspected and found to be safe, though some additional areas will need some refurbishment as part of the clean-up and repair.

So, we are happy to announce… 

Daily Mass will resume tomorrow, Thursday, September 26th at 5:00 PM with confessions as usual at 4:00 PM. The scheduled wedding for this weekend will proceed as planned, and all weekend Masses will resume in the Church this weekend. What a joy it will be to be back in the worship space we call home!
I want to thank the many people, near and far, who generously showed their solidarity. We have been so pleasantly surprised by the inflow of support from parishioners, concerned individuals, and the greater Frederick community. A word of deep thanks to Rev. Dr. Rob Apgar-Taylor, Pastor of the United Church of Christ on 2nd St. who, upon hearing of the unfortunate collapse here at St. John, immediately offered us the use of their Church in our time of need. In addition, we are appreciative of the many people who expressed concern, and their desire to help, by way of social media. Finally, special thanks to a generous donor at one of the Masses in the Hall this past weekend who wrote a check for $1,000 to assist with the repair of the ceiling. The Gospel last weekend reminded us of the need to be both good and faithful servants. Many have given witness to the spirit of that Gospel passage in the last week, and we are so very grateful.
We are still assessing the total cost of the damage and repair. It will likely be both unexpected and expensive. In the weeks and months ahead, we will share ways that you, others from the Frederick community, and our broader Archdiocesan family, can contribute to the costs of the repair and restoration.
As we happily return through the doors of our historic Church, the same doors that during the 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy were declared “Holy”, might we remember the words that were so prominently displayed for that entire year at the entrance of our Church. Pilgrims from around the Archdiocese and the United States were greeted with these very words that have a deeper meaning for each of us after this last week.

“A door ever open to all who knock And desire to meet Jesus.”

In the name of our priests, deacons and parish staff, I am happy to welcome you safely through these doors once again!
Sincerely,
Fr. Kevin

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo,
Afortunadamente nuestra tienda de campaña terrenal, hecha por manos humanas, no ha sido destruída. Y nosotros la morada hecha por las manos de Dios, eternamente en el cielo, podrá regresar a nuestra “Casa de la Iglesia” esta semana!
Después de cuidadosos estudios tanto de nuestros arquitectos como de nuestro ingenieros estructurales, todos han determinado que es seguro reanudar nuestros horario regular dentro de la Iglesia. El daño en las molduras arriba del Altar a San José, aunque considerable y desafortunado, se ha localizado y probablemente es el resultado de filtración de agua a través de varias décadas. La porción del techo y el edificio han sido sellados para prevenir daños futuros. Todas las molduras de yeso restantes han sido inspeccionadas y se ha comprobado que son seguras, aunque algunas áreas adicionales necesitarán ser restauradas como parte de la limpieza y reparación.

Asi que estamos contentos de anunciar…

Las Misa Diaria se reanudará mañana, Jueves 26 de Septiembre a las 5:00pm con confesiones como de costumbre a las 4:00pm. EL horario de las bodas para este fín de semana procederá como planeado, y todas las Misas del fín de semana se reanudarán en la Iglesia. Que alegría será el volver a el espacio de adoración que llamanos hogar!
Quiero agradecer a todas las muchas personas, de aquí y de lejos, quienes generosamente demostraron su solidaridad. Hemos sido gratamente sorprendidos por la cantidad de apoyo de nuestros feligreses, preocupación individuales y la gran comunidad de Frederick. Unas palabras de profundas gracias a el Rev. Dr. Rob Apgar-Taylor, Pastor de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo en la calle segunda quién, después de oír del lamentable colapso aquí en San Juan, inmediatamente nos ofreció el uso de su Iglesia en nuestro tiempo de necesidad. Además, apreciamos mucho a toda la gente que ha expresado su preocupación, y su deseo de ayudar, en la manera de red social. Finalmente, gracias especialmente a el generoso donante en una de nuestras Misas en el Hall este pasado fín de semana quien escribió un cheque por $1,000 para ayudar con las reparaciones del techo. El Evangelio la semana pasada nos recordó de la necesidad de ser ambos, servidores buenos y fieles. Muchos han dado testimonio a el espíritu de ese pasaje del Evangelio en esta pasada semana, y estamos muy agradecidos.
Todavía estamos evaluando el costo total de los daños y reparación. Probablemente será ambos, inesperado y costoso. En las semanas y meses por venir, compartiremos las maneras en las que ustedes, otros de la comunidad de Frederick y nuestra familia arquidiocesana más amplia, pueden contribuir con el costo de la reparación y restauración.
Al regresar alegremente a través de las puertas de nuestra Iglesia histórica, las mimas puertas que durante el Año de Misericordia del Jubileo 2016 furon declarada “Santas”, debemos recordar las palabras que fueron prominentemente expuestas durante todo este año a la entrada de nuestra Iglesia. Peregrinos de toda la Arquidiocesis y de los Estados Unidos fueron recibidos con estas mismas palabras que tienen un significado profundo para cada uno de nosotros después de esta semana.

“Una Puerta siempre se abre para áquel que llama y desea reunirse con Jesús”

En nombre de nuestros sacerdotes, diáconos y personal de la parroquia, estamos muy contentos de darle la bienvenida con seguridad a través de estas puertas de nuevo!

Sinceramente
Padre Kevin

Weekend Masses moved to Hall
after damage to the Church


September 17, 2019Monday afternoon, Sept. 16, brought a chain of unexpected events here at St. John. A little after 2:00 in the afternoon a significant chunk of the plaster crown molding in the Church came crashing down in the sanctuary right over t…

September 17, 2019

Monday afternoon, Sept. 16, brought a chain of unexpected events here at St. John. A little after 2:00 in the afternoon a significant chunk of the plaster crown molding in the Church came crashing down in the sanctuary right over the presider and cantor chairs. The debris, large plaster chunks, traveled all the way to the middle of the Church. Thankfully, a woman who was praying on the side section where the ceiling fell, had left Church about 5 minutes before the fall. God was truly with us! Later that evening, ironically while Fr. Bill was praying quietly in Church, a second section came crashing down. The size and weight of this debris would surely have killed or severely injured anyone present in the sanctuary. As a result, we are taking the following steps until further notice:

The Spanish Mass is canceled this evening

Adoration is canceled for tomorrow

The Ministry Fair, scheduled for this weekend, is postponed and will be rescheduled

All weekend Masses will be moved to the Hall 9/21-22. You are also encouraged to consider attending weekend masses St. Joseph’s, Buckeystown (4:30 Saturday evening and 8:00 and 10:30 on Sunday).

The Church is closed until further notice and will remain locked during the day for your safety. A decision about future daily and weekend Masses will be made in the coming days. Please see future FLocknote notices, the webpage www.stjohn-frederick.org, or the parish Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjefrederick/.

The Blessed Sacrament will be available, for those who visit the hospital and local nursing homes, by visiting the parish office during normal office hours.

We are sorry for any inconvenience. It is our hope that this is a localized problem but we are seeking advice from our architect, structural engineer, and of course the archdiocese. At this time we are not sure if this is related to the recent bell tower renovations. The staff will bring you the latest information we have through Flocknote, our website, www.stjohn-frederick.org and the parish Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/sjefrederick/. We appreciate your patience and understanding in the weeks ahead.